Residents may not think about where their garbage goes after they take their cans to the curb on trash pickup day, but it does not go far.

Turns out that trash — the stuff stuffed into gray bins at most homes — is taken to a city-owned landfill off Nevada Street in the northernmost part of Redlands.

Here’s more about the city’s landfill:

Q What is the California Street Landfill?

A The city acquired the landfill from San Bernardino County in 1970, and has been compacting trash ever since. The city saves money by having its own landfill, rather than contracting with an outside company for solid waste disposal, said Chris Boatman, director of the city’s Quality of Life Department.

“It’s a real asset for a city to have its own landfill,” Boatman said. “We save a significant amount of money by not having to go and transport our trash to another city or another landfill.”

Q Where is the landfill and how large is it?

A The 115-acre landfill is at the end of Nevada Street to the north of the city’s core, along the Santa Ana River. It takes in 40,000 tons of trash a year, including residential, commercial and industrial waste. It does not accept hazardous materials, green waste or recycling — those items go elsewhere.

The city’s landfill is not to be confused with San Bernardino County’s landfill on San Timoteo Canyon Road in Redlands, which is open to the public. The city landfill is not open to the public.

Q Why haven’t I noticed the landfill before?

A It’s impossible to see, or even smell, the trash when standing outside the landfill. That’s because most of it is buried. The landfill is broken up into cells where landfill employees compact and bury the trash. Cells are lined to capture water, which is pumped and sent to the wastewater treatment plant next door, where it is treated.

Landfill employees use bulldozers and a compactor to compact the trash into layers. A water truck is used to keep dust down and help with compaction. This method of compaction is meant to save space, therefore prolonging the life of the landfill.

Tarps, and sometimes green waste, are used to cover the trash when employees leave for the day to keep out animals and prevent the trash from blowing around.

Q What happens when space runs out?

A The current cell opened in 2013 and has another year and a half, said Tim Sullivan, assistant director of the Quality of Life Department.

“The key thing here is longevity, longevity, longevity,” Sullivan said. “How are we going to keep this open as long as possible. Once we close down where is the trash going to go?”

Maximizing space is meant to keep the landfill operating as long as possible, helping the city avoid the cost of contracting out for services.

The landfill’s life expectancy is estimated to end in 2045. Until then, the city is working to extend the life of the landfill through its compaction method, which is meant to save the most space, and diverting recycling material.

“The more we can divert away in recycling material the longer we can make this landfill last,” Boatman said, “and that’s going to translate to direct savings to taxpayers in the end.”

The city must continue to monitor the landfill 50 years after closure. A portion of fees collected from ratepayers and recycling goes to a fund meant to pay for maintenance after closure.

About 63 acres of the landfill was capped in the 1960s, but the city is still required to monitor gas levels and do maintenance.

Q How is the landfill funded?

A The landfill operates out of the city’s Solid Waste Fund, which includes the rates paid by residents and businesses for trash collection and the revenue collected from recycling. The fund is self-sustaining, meaning it is supported by the revenues it generates.

Q How is the landfill regulated?

A Landfills are regulated by the Air Quality Management District and the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle, Boatman said. Inspections are done through the San Bernardino County Health Department.

As the trash decomposes it generates methane gas, which must be monitored. The gas is collected through a pipe system and sent to the wastewater treatment plant where it is burned off through a flare. Monitoring probes throughout the landfill help city and county officials keep an eye on gas levels.

A few years ago, two wells on the landfill’s south side were found to be operating out of compliance, meaning they had higher levels of gas than allowed by the state.

“When we picked up on that we began a series of upgrades to try to mitigate that gas level,” Boatman said.

The city is still out of compliance, Boatman added, but it has reduced gas levels and more upgrades are anticipated in order to reach compliance.

“We made significant progress,” Boatman said. “Gas levels are always a challenge to try to maintain and control. When you find an issue like that, it’s usually a multiyear process to correct it.”

Q What about recyclables and green waste?

A Recyclable materials — those found in the blue bins in Redlands — are diverted to a recovery facility owned by Burrtec, a waste-management firm based in Fontana. Burrtec pays the city for its recycling material based on tonnage. Those funds go into the city’s solid waste fund to offset the cost of collecting and disposing of trash in the city.

The city has reached 54 percent diversion from the landfill, Sullivan said.

Green waste — found in the green bins — is sent to a facility next to the county landfill in San Timoteo Canyon. Some green waste also is used to help with compaction at the city’s landfill.

Boatman said the city is working with a consultant to create a program for businesses to recycle organic waste, as required by the state.

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